Rutland Trail East - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking the Rutland trail, a former railroad bed for the Rutland Railroad which traverses extensive wetlands (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

There was more beaver sign than I'd ever seen before, so I imagined that the beaver population was increasing:

Shelf fungi:

Jack kept running far ahead, but he always came running back when I called:

We came to a section where White Pines grew. Someone had cut down some of the biggest pines, dropping them in the water and leaving them there. I have no idea why:

My happy little troop trotted along the trail, delighted with being outdoors and moving:

The biggest body of water on the trail was just up ahead, but the dogs were busy sniffing along the trail and didn't notice it:

I stopped to photograph these dried Queen Anne's Lace flower heads:

And then these yellow leaves, which I couldn't identify. Looking them up when I got home, I decided they might be Gray Birch, native to the northeast United States:

We came to the bridge, beneath which the big pond on the right slowly drained into the marsh on the left:

We didn't go much farther, though, because the hard packed stone dust was causing my ankles to be painful, almost as if I was walking on concrete. Soon we turned back toward where we began:

It was chilly, but I'd come prepared. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Deer River State Forest, Martin Road - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking off Martin Road in the Deer River State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and found the trails to be easy walking, the forest to be cool and lovely:

The mottled sunlight was challenging for my camera, but it tried its best. The dogs had begun our hike with too much boisterous enthusiasm, but they slowed down as we proceeded:

And then I saw this route sign, a real surprise in the deep forest. Apparently there are numbered routes, though I found no map of them online:

I was surprised by this bright orange shelf fungus. Clover and Daphne ran over to it and I followed, interested in a closer look:

It was indeed distinctive. I looked it up when I got home and suspect it was what is often called "Chicken Of The Woods," supposedly because it tastes like chicken. I'd never try it unless I had an expert on hand to confirm the identification, yet still it added to the interest:

We went quite a distance, making a number of turns. and I had some concern about remembering the way back. So before we got too far, I decided to begin our return trip to the car. Martin Road is a gravel road with no traffic, no buildings, no utilities, so just locating the car wouldn't mean we were back in civilization:

But the walk back was entirely pleasant and the dogs, having spent their excess energy, were much easier to keep close:

Jack still ran in big circles, taking detours through the woods, but even he was considerably calmed down. As for Seamus, he was plain tuckered out:

There were a few more side trips into the woods by the dogs, but I stayed on the trail:

There were mature stands of conifers and places I thought looked like the Black Forest, but I discovered that the pictures in such places had too little sunlight to be usable. The younger, hardwood areas had more light and more usable photos:

We trudged quietly along, with Ovenbirds singing all around us:

Right at the end, I almost turned left at an intersection. I was just about to do so when I glimpsed the bright red of my car, parked on the road straight ahead. There are times when a bright colored car is a real blessing. The dogs and I hopped back in our car and drove home. It had been a very nice short hike:

Happy Dogs In Brasher State Forest - Part 1

It was a lovely day but kind of chilly. It seemed to me that it was time for a short hike and the dogs, as you might imagine, were in full agreement. I loaded them into the car and drove to nearby Brasher State Forest, where we pulled off the road and into the forest to park:

Released from the car, the pooches took off like rockets and I had to do a bit of yelling to rein them back in and keep them closer to me. But they know the routine by now and quickly adjusted:

Our spring season has been very late arriving and there were still no leaves on the hardwood trees. I focused on the ground and saw much green - these Star Moss and Partridgeberries, for instance:

And baby White Pines:

But the dogs had investigations of their own to perform:

And they did those mainly by sense of smell:

Our woodland wildflowers were just emerging. I believe these were Canada Mayflowers:

I saw a trail leading off into the forest and we all turned onto it, just to see what we might find:

We found this shelf fungus with a bright orange stripe:

We continued on through the pines for a short while:

Then stopped and looked around:

I decided it was time to return to the main trail and the dogs thought that was a fine idea. They ran ahead with all the enthusiasm they could muster. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

The Ledges Hike Finished And A Return To The Salmon River

The dogs and I were just finishing up our hike to The Ledges, an Adirondack overlook just south of Malone, New York. We were almost back to the trail head, moving slowly and carefully down an unrelentingly steep and treacherous grade. We stopped often to rest:

Colorful Red Maple and Bigtooth Aspen leaves were collecting on the forest floor, making an especially nice display when contrasted against a patch of bright emerald moss:

I stopped to admire a family of mushrooms which were an unusually beefy color:

And had another look at the snow white shelf fungus I'd passed on the way up. I tried to search out an identity for these beauties but never found it:

And there was our car. The dogs broke into a run. They're always excited to leave the car and excited to find it again. They're excited to hike and most happy to rest. What better companions could there be?:

I exited the forest via the incredibly rough Lee Road (a better name would be "Lee Deer Path") and then headed south on Studley Hill Road along the Salmon River:

The hills along the Salmon River were gloriously arrayed in autumn colors and I thought about what an absolutely perfect day it had been. One of the great benefits of writing this blog is that it constantly reminds me of how blessed I am. It's hard to get depressed in the presence of such natural splendor and happy dogs:

There was a tiny town on the riverbank consisting of perhaps ten houses and named Chasm Falls. There were several houses for sale, including one with this view. I looked it up later and found a listing with photos. It was a magnificent house and garage on 1.7 acres for $128.500. If I'd been in the market for a home (and had money) I might have bought it on the spot. If you'd like to see the Realtor's listing, click here. Or click here to see the photos of the place:

My car was low on gas and we were so far out in the country that I didn't think I'd find a gas station without driving into the town of Malone. But I kept stopping along the banks of the Salmon River to enjoy the scenery and autumn air:

One last stop before I headed into Malone to fill my gas tank. That's the county road, Studley Hill Road, behind us, by the way. You can see what a tiny dirt road it is. It's also the same road on which I visited a herd of Scottish Highland Cattle several years ago. A young couple had cleared a patch of forest and were raising a herd of those magnificent beasts. But our hike was over and I knew we had to get going. I'll post more tomorrow:

Discovering The Trail To "The Ledges"

I'd been looking for a hike called The Ledges, and had already spent most of the morning searching for the trail head and then mistakenly hiking what, in the end, turned out not to be a trail at all (see yesterday's post). I returned to Studley Hill Road and was driving slowly back toward the farm when I saw a tiny dirt road off to my left and turned onto it. It was indeed marked Lee Road which is where the trail head to The Ledges was to be found. So I began driving up it, carefully maneuvering around giant potholes and washouts. I emerged into a broad field in a valley surrounded by hills clothed in autumn colors:

I saw no trail head but a couple of wooden posts marked the parking spot. I got out and walked back down the "road" on which I'd arrived. It was really just a sandy track through an old field which was in the process of reverting to forest. There must have been a farm here many years ago:

And that former farm surely had spectacular views all around. Those rocky ledges to the left of that ridge were, I guessed, the destination of the hike I was about to take:

I walked back to the trail head and began hiking through the forest. The trail was moss covered and soft. There were no trail markers on the trees, but an occasional post had been sunk into the ground to assure me I was still on the trail:

This was a beautiful northern forest and I was thrilled with what I was seeing. I was also happy that it was so far rather level:

I saw these snow white fungi on a moss covered stump:

But then the trail began climbing steeply up a rocky ledge:

The trail was sparsely marked and apparently so seldom hiked that it was difficult to find in many places. This was all the more difficult because of the fallen leaves and I did, indeed, lose the trail several times and have to backtrack:

The ascent became, as you can see here, quite steep. Seamus needed to stop and rest:

Daphne led the way. We were just getting started and there's more to share. I'll post additional photos of our hike up to The Ledges tomorrow: